


Into the unknown

by diner_drama



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Frozen AU, M/M, Royalty AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:02:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23785990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diner_drama/pseuds/diner_drama
Summary: Bucky has everything under control. He's the hereditary leader of a small and prosperous country. He lives with his beloved sister and her fiancé in a beautiful castle, and his people are safe and well. He also happens to be in control of the power of ice, but he's got that working for him now, so that's not an issue.But when he closes his eyes, he can hear a siren's song calling him from the far North.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 17
Kudos: 44
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This kinda has spoilers for Frozen 2, but it's not precisely the plot of Frozen 2, because Disney are cowards who won't give Elsa a girlfriend.
> 
> This first chapter fills square U3: little sister

The night sky was hazy, wisps of cloud covering the smattering of stars that punctuated the darkness. As Bucky leaned against the tall windows, he could hear a distant voice that seemed to be singing directly in his ear. It was almost as if...

"Bucky? Bucky, are you even listening to me?" said Becca, breaking through his concentration. Bucky blinked and refocused his eyes on his little sister, dashing his other thoughts from his mind. "You're distracted lately. It's as though your mind is somewhere else entirely." She was standing with her arms folded, eying him expectantly. 

"It's nothing, I just thought I heard... it's nothing," he sighed, turning away and firmly tamping down his curiosity.

"I don't think it's nothing," she insisted, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I want to know what's bothering you."

Bucky plastered a smile on his face, an unconvincing, wan thing. "I'm fine, Becca," he promised her. "It's probably just the wind blowing through the castle. It just spooks me sometimes, that's all."

"Come to dinner," she entreated, and led him to the warm parlor. The fire in the grate was crackling merrily, casting an inviting light over the intricately carved tables and comfortable, over-stuffed armchairs. The table was already set, the silver cutlery gleaming against the dark wood. There was a great tureen of soup in the center, emitting a tempting and savory scent. 

"God, that smells so good," enthused Becca, forgetting her ladylike manners as she leaned over the table to put her entire face into the tureen and smell the soup. Bucky chuckled and took his seat opposite her.

"I don't suppose I could get a bowl of that before you inhale it?"

"I love soup," she shrugged unapologetically, nonetheless picking up the ladle to portion out their food.

Becca was a young woman just blossoming into adulthood, bright and pink-cheeked with the first flush of young love, self-possessed and beautiful. Bucky envied her comfort in her own skin, the way that she seemed at home in every inch of their little kingdom. 

Bucky couldn't relate. Even in his homeland, surrounded by everyone he loved, he felt thin and over-stretched, not quite of this world. A ghost haunting the hallways of his own castle, searching for... something.

Realizing that he had lost track of the conversation, he shook himself internally and refocused on what Becca was saying. 

"...then Hans went to talk to the ice harvesters and they reckon that the snow this winter is going to be a little thicker than last year, so we might want to talk to the foresters to discuss laying in an increase in firewood. Some of the smaller houses near the coast could do with being better insulated, as well. We don't want to have anyone getting too cold if winter is harsher than usual."

She was talking animatedly, soup flying from her spoon as she gesticulated. He grinned to himself and wordlessly passed over a napkin, which she accepted and absentmindedly put on her lap.

"So?" she asked through a mouthful of bread. "What do you think?"

"It's a good plan," he agreed. "I'll bring it up at the council tomorrow. I'd like it if you could be there, just to keep everyone on task. You have a rapport with them that I don't."

"They respect you," she insisted. 

"They do," he agreed. "But they _follow_ you."

After dinner, they both settled into their accustomed armchairs around the fire, benignly ignoring each other in the way that siblings do. Bucky was poring over a heavy book of farming reports, and Becca was embroidering a set of handkerchiefs, humming quietly to herself.

Losing focus on his book, Bucky frowned, trying to place the tune. "Is that mom's lullaby?" 

She laughed. "I wasn't even paying attention. Yeah, I think so."

" _Where the North wind meets the sea_ ," sang Bucky, smiling softly, " _there's a river full of memory_."

Becca grinned and sang the next line. " _Sleep, my darling, safe and sound, for in this river all is found._ "

"Do you ever wonder if it's a real river?" he asked dreamily, closing his book and flopping his head back against the overstuffed headrest of his chair.

"I've never been that far North," said Becca vaguely, unpicking a stitch. "You could ask around the fishing boats."

"I might," he decided, standing up and stretching. "I'd like to see it some day. I'll see you in the morning?"

"Bright and early," she agreed.

Lying in bed, Bucky was just drifting off into sleep when at the very edge of his hearing, he heard the voice again, pulling at his heart, awakening a yearning inside him that he couldn't put into words. Shutting his eyes tightly, he pulled a pillow over his head, and willed sleep to find him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky's ceremonial waistcoat was itchy, and the crown was making the top of his head uncomfortably sweaty. The assembled dignitaries and ministers were watching him expectantly from around the conference table, waiting for him to open the meeting. He cleared his throat.
> 
> "Good morning everyone," he started, as he had every week for his interminable tenure as ruler, trying to smile warmly and only somewhat succeeding. "Let's begin this week's business. How are my subjects?"
> 
> Allowing himself to drift a little, he gazed out of the huge ornamental window, out across the great expanse of the sea, the azure waters lapping against the shore, the dark cerulean of the depths out towards the horizon. 
> 
> At the very edge of his hearing, a nearly imperceptible voice was audible, jolting him into awareness. Abruptly, he dropped his scepter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for the Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020, filling square B4: Royalty AU

Bucky's ceremonial waistcoat was itchy, and the crown was making the top of his head uncomfortably sweaty. The assembled dignitaries and ministers were watching him expectantly from around the conference table, waiting for him to open the meeting. He cleared his throat.

"Good morning everyone," he started, as he had every week for his interminable tenure as ruler, trying to smile warmly and only somewhat succeeding. "Let's begin this week's business. How are my subjects?"

The secretary of state began his report and Bucky nodded in the appropriate places, half-listening to the enumeration of grain stores, tenant concerns, births, deaths, marriages.

"What about the school?" broke in Becca, interrupting the learned gentleman's speech. "Last week we discussed re-tiling the roof, did you get that done?" Bucky shot her a grateful look, delighted at having a reprieve from his duties. 

Becca's trademark combination of enthusiasm and bluntness was incredibly effective for dealing with the needs of the kingdom. The government - who, unlike him, had actually been elected - were perfectly capable of running the apparatus of the state without royal interference, but Becca's commitment to the welfare of their citizens made her a beloved and influential leader. Frankly, even if she weren't the princess she would probably be elected president by her devoted people.

Allowing himself to drift a little, he gazed out of the huge ornamental window, out across the great expanse of the sea, the azure waters lapping against the shore, the dark cerulean of the depths out towards the horizon. 

At the very edge of his hearing, a nearly imperceptible voice was audible, jolting him into awareness. Abruptly, he dropped his scepter.

"Your Majesty?" A courtier was quick to his side, handing him back the scepter and gently prising his fingers away from the wood of his chair, which had frozen under his stunned grip.

"Sorry," said Bucky, scrubbing his hands over his face. "Sorry, I thought I heard... Did anyone else hear that?"

"I didn't hear anything, Buck," said Becca gently, a frown creasing her brow. "I think we can adjourn the meeting now," she said, turning to the room at large. "Anything else can be submitted to the castle in writing, and I'd like to follow up on the winter preparations later this week. Thank you all for your time."

As they filed out of the room, Bucky rested his head back against his throne and sighed.

"I'm sending for the doctor," called Becca.

"That's really not necessary," said Bucky unconvincingly, screwing up his eyes and trying very hard not to think about what he'd heard. 

Later that evening, after being poked and prodded by the palace's medical staff, Bucky took to pacing along the long corridor outside his room, absent-mindedly manifesting a ball of frost, which he shaped into snowflakes and swirls and abstract shapes as he strode back and forth in front of the window, looking out through the glass at the rolling seas out northwards.

This time, when the call came, he squeezed his hands over his ears and ran back into his bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky was fast asleep when the call came again, jolting him into consciousness. Instantly wide awake, he sprang to the window and flung open the shutters, the better to seek out the intoxicating voice that had been haunting his every waking hour. The echoes of the melodious sound filled him with a yearning and a cold fire that he had no way to name, stirring something deep inside him, a voice that he had long ignored that told him that he needed to find his way home, and that his home could not be found within these walls.
> 
> The voice continued, growing in intensity and ringing in his ears, pulling his heart out through his chest and out into the the night, soaring across the vast seas to the frozen North. Slipping on his shoes, he walked out onto the balcony, following the sound of the call. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fills the Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020 square U4: Frozen AU.

Bucky was fast asleep when the call came again, jolting him into consciousness. Instantly wide awake, he sprang to the window and flung open the shutters, the better to seek out the intoxicating voice that had been haunting his every waking hour. The echoes of the melodious sound filled him with a yearning and a cold fire that he had no way to name, stirring something deep inside him, a voice that he had long ignored that told him that he needed to find his way home, and that his home could not be found within these walls.

The voice continued, growing in intensity and ringing in his ears, pulling his heart out through his chest and out into the the night, soaring across the vast seas to the frozen North. Slipping on his shoes, he walked out onto the balcony, following the sound of the call. 

He could go no further without walking off into thin air, which he could do as easily as breathing. He created a walkway of ice beneath his feet as he drifted down, near-sleepwalking towards the shores of his kingdom. The streets were silent in the darkness, all of his subjects tucked up warm in their beds, letting him slip through the town unobserved. He might have been the only person in the world, but for the voice that he could still hear.

The seas were churning, great white crests of waves dashing against the shore. Pausing for a second, Bucky reconsidered his approach, pulling his hair back into a ponytail. Suddenly, he remembered sitting by the cliffs with his parents, watching the rolling waves, his mother pointing out the white of the surf and telling him they were great horses, stamping and champing in the water. It took only a wave of his hand to manifest a huge, icy white steed, which whinnied softly and paced next to him, its white mane tangling in his fingers as he stroked its neck.

Easily, he swung himself onto the horse's back, urging it forwards with a quick press of his heels against its cold flank. The powerful creature leaped over the roiling waters, smoothly summiting the massive waves with a single bound. They sped together over the endless dark ocean, the spray of water fresh on his cheeks. The siren's song grew only stronger as he went on his journey, his heart calling out in tandem with the message from his kindred spirit.

Where the North wind met the sea, there was a glacier which led to a cave. Bucky had no idea how long it took him to reach the mouth of the dark void - it felt like both seconds and hours - but before long he was dismounting his horse and venturing forth alone into the echoing darkness.

Bucky never felt the cold, but he could feel himself trembling. Someone was there with him in the darkness, someone who his soul was calling to, the source of his longing.

"Hello?" he called waveringly, the sound of his voice repeated back to him by the echoes of the cave. "Show yourself! You've been calling to me, and I'm here. It's your turn."

He stepped forwards and then stopped short, catching a glimmer of light out of the corner of his eye. "Show yourself!" he called again with unusual certainty.

From a dark corner, a beautiful man, his blond hair gleaming with an icy light, stepped cautiously towards him. Bucky's heart just about leaped out of his chest, breath catching as he beheld the object of his obsession, the thing that his soul had been searching for. Something snapped into place inside him, and his whole body was filled with the total surety that he was _home_.

"It's really you," gasped the man in a deep, mellifluous voice. "You're finally here." 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve waved his other hand through the air in a great arc, and crystals of ice formed wherever his fingers had been, dancing and twirling in the cold air. Bucky laughed in delight, and swirled his hand to create a matching set of snowflakes of his own. They spent some time showing off to each other, making sculptures as a team, filling the air with flurries of snow and the sound of laughter.
> 
> "So are you like... my long-lost brother or something?" asked Bucky after a while as they sprawled on the floor, out of breath. He felt a little uncomfortable with the idea for reasons he was trying not to analyze too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter fills square U1: letting go

"Who are you?" asked Bucky, stepping as close to the apparition as he dared. "How do I know you?"

"My name is Steve, and I don't know," he replied, closing the distance between them and bringing a trembling hand up to cup Bucky's cheek. "I'm one of the forest people, and... I can't believe you're finally here."

"What is this place?"

"This is where all the memories are held," he replied simply. "The spirits of the elements are here."

"How do you know that?"

"My people have an ancient song - _where the North wind meets the sea, there's a river full of memories_..."

" _Sleep my darling, safe and sound, for in this river all is found_ ," finished Bucky, turning into Steve's touch. "My mother used to sing that song to me."

"And mine to me," breathed Steve, smiling radiantly.

"But I don't understand - why have you been singing to me?"

"I heard your call, I couldn't help but call back."

"I didn't call you," said Bucky, confused, scrunching up his face.

"Your heart must have. Some part of you must have been looking... for someone like you. As I was."

"You're like me?"

Steve waved his other hand through the air in a great arc, and crystals of ice formed wherever his fingers had been, dancing and twirling in the cold air. Bucky laughed in delight, and swirled his hand to create a matching set of snowflakes of his own. They spent some time showing off to each other, making sculptures as a team, filling the air with flurries of snow and the sound of laughter.

"So are you like... my long-lost brother or something?" asked Bucky after a while as they sprawled on the floor, out of breath. He felt a little uncomfortable with the idea for reasons he was trying not to analyze too much.

"I don't think so," laughed Steve. "I think my mother would have mentioned it. There's a legend that says the spirits of the forest pick two children from different families to imbue with their powers every thirty years. So... we're closer than brothers, Bucky. We're kindred spirits."

"Can I stay with you?" asked Bucky impulsively, the words tumbling out before he had time to think about them. "Can I meet the forest people? I want to know everything about where I come from."

Steve graced him with a radiant smile. "Of course. You can stay as long as you want."

Drawn towards him, Bucky lifted a hand as Steve did the same, and their fingers interlaced, as though they had been made for each other. 

Bucky's skin lit on fire and something in his chest broke open. Light consumed him, and he suddenly felt whole for the first time in his life, as though he had let go of his old life and a missing part of him had been returned.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Becca's coronation and all the ceremonial handing-over of powers that came with it, Bucky was relieved to escape back into the forest and lose himself in the trees, wandering to and fro in his bare feet, careful not to startle the animals that were all around him. It wasn't long before his meandering path drew him back towards the warm fires and hubbub of activity of the camp where he had parted with Steve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter fills square K5: snowed in.

After Becca's coronation and all the ceremonial handing-over of powers that came with it, Bucky was relieved to escape back into the forest and lose himself in the trees, wandering to and fro in his bare feet, careful not to startle the animals that were all around him. It wasn't long before his meandering path drew him back towards the warm fires and hubbub of activity of the camp where he had parted with Steve.

Steve leaped up on seeing him and strode out to greet him with a huge bear hug.

"You're just in time," said Steve, beaming and brushing snow out of Bucky's hair. "The snow will fall tonight and the path will be difficult to traverse, even for you."

"I hope you don't mind being stuck with me for a while."

"I can live with it," he laughed. "You can make yourself useful, actually. Those of us who can will hold off the worst of the snow from this small area overnight so that our village doesn't get overwhelmed. It's usually just me and the Starks, but we sure would be glad of an extra pair of hands."

"Of course," said Bucky. "Whatever I can do."

Steve clapped him on the arm in thanks. "Come with me," he said, dragging Bucky by the hand into a tent, where a fire was letting off warm, amber light. He dipped a ladle into the bubbling cauldron of spiced wine and poured out servings into two mugs, handing one over to Bucky. "Are you sure you're happy to stay here until the snow clears?"

Bucky took the warm drink in his two hands, happy to inhale the soothing scent as they sat cross-legged across from each other by the fire. "I want to learn everything," he said. "About you, about this place, these people."

"We'll be glad to teach you everything we know."

"You know..." said Bucky with a sly smile. "I didn't bring a tent with me. You got space in here for me to bunk with you?"

Steve reached across to brush a drop of wine from Bucky's lower lip with his thumb. "I think I can find a place for you," he grinned.

Outside the tent, the first flurries of snow began to fall.


End file.
